Chickenpox
by chibified kitsunes
Summary: After a normal everyday mission, Naruto catches chickenpox. But what's this? Someone else has the chickenpox too! NaruHina, SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, never have, never will… (sob)

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A/N: Sorry about the long wait with Coming Home guys. Rest assured I am not discontinuing Coming Home; it's just that the ideas just aren't flowing right now and I have been busy. But here's another story that shouldn't be too many chapters.

So now, let's start off with a little information that would help as we go along with the story! And for your own good as well if you ever get chickenpox. Heehee…

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**About Chickenpox:**

Chickenpox, which occurs most often in the late winter and early spring, is very contagious - if exposed to an infected family member, about 80 to 90 of those in a household who haven't had chickenpox will get it.

Although it's more common in kids under the age of 15, anyone can get chickenpox. A person usually has only one episode of chickenpox in his or her lifetime.

**Signs and Symptoms:**

Chickenpox is a viral infection that causes a red, itchy rash on the skin. The rash usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body.

The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which then becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs.

Chickenpox blisters are about a quarter to half an inch wide, have a reddish base, and appear in bouts over 2 to 4 days.

Some children have a fever, abdominal pain, or a vague sick feeling a day or 2 before the rash appear. These symptoms may last for a few days, and fever stays in the range of 37.7 to 38.8 degrees Celsius, although it may occasionally be higher. Younger children often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults.

**Contagiousness:**

The contagious period for chickenpox begins about 2 days before the rash appears and lasts until all the blisters are crusted over. A child with chickenpox should be kept out of school until all of the blisters have dried, which is usually about 1 week.

**Duration:**

Chickenpox usually lasts 7 to 10 days in children, but typically lasts longer in adults.

**Home Treatment:**

Most home treatment is aimed at relieving the annoying itch of chickenpox and the accompanying fever and discomfort. However, NEVER use aspirin to reduce pain or fever in children with chickenpox or certain other viral illnesses. Using aspirin in such cases has been associated with a serious disease, called Reye syndrome, which can lead to liver failure and even death.

Some measures you can take to help your child get through this itchy, uncomfortable time:

- Use wet compresses or give baths in cool or lukewarm water every 3 to 4 hours for the first few days.

- Oatmeal baths, available at the supermarket or pharmacy, can help to relieve itching. (Baths do not spread chickenpox.)

- Pat (don't rub) the body dry.

- Put calamine lotion on itchy areas (but don't use it on the face, especially near the eyes).

- Give your child foods that are cold, soft, and bland because chickenpox in the mouth may make drinking or eating difficult.

- Try to avoid feeding your child anything that's highly acidic or especially salty, like orange juice or pretzels. (Or ramen in Naruto's case, haha…)

- Ask your child's doctor or pharmacist about pain-relieving creams you can apply to sores in the genital area.

- Give your child acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) regularly to help relieve pain from mouth blisters.

- And although it's tempting, children should be discouraged from scratching.

- Trim your child's fingernails and keep them clean to help lessen the effects of scratching, including broken blisters and infection.

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Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's table, eyes downcast as he shuffled his feet.

"How could you not tell anyone Naruto?" The yellow haired boy winced as Tsunade yelled at him.

Iruka, Shizune and her watched Naruto fidget before answering, "I really didn't know Tsunade no Baa-chan, I thought it was just a rash…"

Tsunade sighed heavily as she massaged her temples, considering the circumstances, she decided to let the nickname slide, "Even with the Kyuubi's powers, you could catch chickenpox. But the point is, don't you know it's highly contagious? Anyone who hasn't had it and came into contact with you might have caught it!"

Bright blue eyes widened, clouding over in terror as he registered the Hokage's words, "Anyone?"

The blonde Hokage nodded grimly, she hadn't meant to scare the boy but it was the truth. Turning to her assistant, she instructed Shizune to get the rest of Team 7 into her office. "Let's just hope your team has had chickenpox before."

Shizune bowed her respects to Tsunade and left the room, but not before smiling kindly at the terrified boy and ruffling his golden locks. "Daijoubu Naruto-kun, chickenpox won't kill you. You're a strong boy."

Naruto nodded dumbly, it felt as if the weight on his shoulders was lifted, but he still couldn't help but worry.

Tsunade sighed as the door clicked shut, "Iruka, have you had chickenpox before?"

The academy teacher frowned, rubbing his scarred nose in thought, "Yes, Hokage-sama." _'I think'_ He added mentally, a little unsure of himself.

The Godaime sighed in relief, "That's good. Now please tell me when you discovered he had chickenpox."

Iruka nodded and began his story. "After his training yesterday, we went out for lunch as usual at the Ichiraku. Before that, he had complained of a stomachache and that he was feeling warm. At first I thought that it was because he was hungry and he had just finished training. But the symptoms persisted even after lunch. I thought it was strange since Naruto never fell ill. Seeing this I took him back to my apartment where I put him to bed. I got a call though from the academy saying they wanted me back there." The raven haired man paused and cocked his head to one side as he tried to recall.

Tsunade sat back in her chair, clutching her arm rests willing herself not to drum her fingers as she tried to be patient with the still droning teacher. _'I can understand how Iruka's class never pays attention to him. He's so boring!'_ She thought wryly.

"When I returned home in the evening he was sitting at the table eating cup ramen as usual. Only thing was that he was scratching his face. It wasn't until the next morning did I realize he had chickenpox."

Leaning forward, brown eyes glared down at Naruto, "When and where did the spots appear Naruto?"

The younger blonde gulped, "On the front and back of my body in the afternoon…"

Iruka bowed, "Sumimasen Godaime-sama, I had no idea till I saw the spots on his face this morning. I had to tie him up to stop him from… NARUTO!" The scarred Chuunin yelled as he smacked the chickenpox victim over the head.

Apparently, Naruto had managed to get out of his bonds and was already scratching his arms. As the older man grabbed hold of his hands, Tsunade got off her chair and stepped toward the pair. "Hold him still." She muttered as she stalked forward, an evil looking grin stretching across her face as she pulled out a roll of bandages.

oooooooooo

Needless to say, Team 7 was annoyed when Naruto failed to show up for their usual morning training. Kakashi had arrived an hour ago but the boisterous youngster was still nowhere to be found. Sakura had asked if they should go look for him but their lazy sensei merely shook his head, leaning against the side of the bridge; nose buried in his all too familiar orange book as usual. Sasuke stood under a nearby tree, fingering one of his kunai in annoyance, stopping once in a while to scratch himself on the arm.

_'Stupid dobe, I should be training and becoming stronger now instead of wasting my time here waiting for him.'_ He thought, eyes narrowing in annoyance as he spied his pink headed annoying teammate approaching him.

But before Sakura could ask him out on a date or before he could refuse, a puff of smoke startled the both of them as Shizune appeared on the bridge.

"Ah Shizune-san, not who we were expecting but what can we do for you?" Kakashi welcomed in his usual happy-go-lucky manner.

Shizune smiled, nodding slightly as she returned the greeting. "Kakashi-san, Tsunade-sama requests you and your team's presence in her office."

Kakashi smiled, closing his book and placing it back into his weapon's pouch. His eye curved in amusement, though he couldn't say the same thing about his thoughts. _'I wonder if this has anything to do with Naruto missing training. He never misses training.'_ "Is something wrong?"

Shizune's smile wavered slightly, "Well, let's just say it's got something to do with Naruto-kun."

The silver haired Jounin's visible eye widened slightly as he asked, his voice taking on a slightly worried tone, "Did something happen to him?"

Sasuke had even stopped playing with his kunai, though he still couldn't resist scratching his other arm this time. He listened carefully but discreetly, trying his best to act uninterested. He didn't want to admit it but even he was worried for the dobe. Even Sakura, whose attention rarely left Sasuke, realized something was amiss.

The three stared at Shizune waiting for her answer. Instead her face broke into a grin before she giggled. "Why don't you come with me and find out?" She chirped.

A sweat-drop rolled down the back of Kakashi's head, Sakura fell down anime style and even the ever stoic, and poker faced Sasuke had to twitch his eye at that cheery response; although they now knew that it was safe to assume that Konoha's loudest ninja was not dead or seriously injured.

Sasuke recovered first, seeing his only reaction was merely the twitching of his eye. He snorted and headed for the training grounds, muttering, "I can't be bothered about the dobe, I have better things to do than see him get in trouble."

But before he could take another step, he was jerked back by a tug of his collar. "Oh no, you're coming too. This time Naruto's trouble concerns each and every one of you."

And so, Sasuke reluctantly made his way to the Hokage tower, Shizune's hand still gripped around his collar, marching him forward. Sakura turned around, walking backwards as she spoke to the Hokage's assistant. "Shizune-san, what happened to Naruto that we all have to go and see Tsunade-sama?"

Kakashi turned as well, curious to know, "Yes, do tell."

The medic nin merely smiled again and replied, "You'll find out soon enough."

oooooooooo

Tsunade sat at her table grinning like a Cheshire cat as she addressed Team 7, minus Naruto of course. "You must all be wondering why I've called you here."

Kakashi nodded, "Hai Hokage-sama, though Shizune-san has only informed us that this is regarding Naruto but the details have been left out. May I ask what exactly has happened to Naruto?"

The blonde woman's grin grew wider, causing a sense of impending doom to fall upon Team 7. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"You can come in now." She called.

Shizune stifled a giggle as the door opened. Iruka stepped out, bowing awkwardly in respect to the Hokage as he dragged a familiar orange clad blonde boy by the back of his collar. Naruto shouted his protests as he tried to wriggle out of the older man's deathlike grip.

It wasn't until Naruto had been placed in front of his stunned teammates and sensei did they realize his hands were swaddled with bandages. But what caught them most off guard were the red spots marring his face and the visible parts of his arms and legs.

"YOU'VE GOT CHICKENPOX!" Sakura's shriek reverberated through the air, piercing the stunned silence.

oooooooooo

"It's a good thing our last missions have only been gathering herbs in the forest, else you could have infected other people. And thank goodness I've had chickenpox when I was a baby!" Sakura huffed as she folded her arms in annoyance, glaring at the guilty boy.

"Gomen nasai Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined pitifully, looking up at the fuming girl with puppy dog eyes. "It wasn't my faaaaaault!"

Kakashi chuckled, "And you were complaining about how easy the mission was. Turns out that babysitting turned out to be more difficult than it really looked."

Sasuke snorted, "Only a dobe like you could catch something like chickenpox from a baby."

At that, Naruto jumped up, a little off balance from the displacement and growled at Sasuke. He stopped in mid growl and blinked. His anger faded away into puzzlement, only to be replaced with amusement and smugness. "Oh yeah? Then how is it you keep scratching your arm and what are those red spots doing on your oh-so-perfect face?"

Sakura turned to Sasuke only to shriek out loud again, much to the chagrin of the room's occupants. "SASUKE-KUN!"

All eyes in the turned to look at Sasuke and sure enough, he too was covered in spots.

It was the doctor's final verdict. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were infected with chickenpox.

"Look who's the dobe now Sasuke-teme?"

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A/N: Hahaha, well look here. Naruto and Sasuke have chickenpox! Where you ask did I get this idea? Well, I was up late in bed unable to sleep staring at my sister when this idea suddenly hit. She had just recovered from her chickenpox! She caught it from a friend at school, passed it onto my cousin who then passed it on again his two older brothers and later to their youngest brother.

So I'm dedicating this piece of fiction to my sister and four cousins who inspired me to write this story!

Let me know if you enjoyed it and if I should continue it k?

Thank you! And please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, never have, never will… (sob)

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A/N: Well, there you have it! After half a year long absence, I have come up with the second chapter of Chickenpox. I am terribly sorry about the wait with Coming Home. But as I said before, I will not discontinue it, it's just that right now I am suffering from a massive writer's block and the current filler arcs aren't helping me either. And the fact that I'm hung up with reading FFVII fics and is currently obsessed with my Bleach cosplay team. Haha…

But thank you all the same for the constant support and emails you have been sending. I really appreciate it. So here's chapter 2 to you all out there. Read, enjoy and review.

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"Sasuke-kun, you have to stop scratching!" Sakura whined, much to the disgust of the stoic boy who sat in a corner sulking.

"Urusai, you are annoying." He replied as he scratched more vigorously at his cheek.

Naruto smirked, "Baa-chan! Sasuke-teme's scratching his spots; he needs to have his hands tied too!" Trying to prove his point, he shoved his own bound hands in front of Tsunade.

"Hai, hai." The annoyed Hokage said, signaling Iruka to do the job for her. Even the task of binding people's hands couldn't cheer her up as the thought of a wide spread chickenpox breakout was worrying her.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, have you two been in contact with anyone as of late?" Shizune spoke up, almost as if she knew what was troubling the older woman.

Naruto frowned in answer, "Nobody except Konohamaru and his friends, Iruka-sensei and Oji-san and Nee-chan at the Ichiraku."

Hearing this, the Hokage sighed in relief, "What about you Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked away before answering, "No one." He, however, noticed Naruto smirking at him and snorted. "What, you got something to say, dobe?"

Blue eyes narrowed at the hated nickname but his smirk widened nonetheless, "Oh nothing, just thought I should mention how you got cornered by the Bakasuke fan club the other day."

(Thump)

Everyone turned to the source of the noise, only to see Tsunade laying her head on the table. "Oh Kami… Why does this always have to happen to me? Shizune, please go and inform every single Sasuke fan girl that they might be at risk of contracting chickenpox, and also the people Naruto's mentioned."

"Kami-sama, I need some sake…" Tsunade groaned.

oooooooooo

With Iruka having had to go back to the academy and Kakashi giving his there-is-an-old-lady-needing-to-cross-the-road excuse, Tsunade and Team 7 were left in the office.

"Let's go to the basics of what to do when you have chickenpox." Tsunade began.

"Number one, no matter how much you feel like doing it, DO NOT SCRATCH THE SPOTS!" She roared, startling the genins. Sakura couldn't help but let out a giggle which she covered up with a cough when she saw how terrified Sasuke and Naruto were.

Outside, Izumo and Kotetsu couldn't help but sigh in relief, thankful they were not the ones on the receiving end of the Hokage's wrath. They straightened up immediately when they heard the Godaime calling for them.

"Izumo, Kotetsu, I want you to go get all the available books and medical reports from the library and hospital on chickenpox and bring them to my office." Tsunade ordered, in a stern voice.

The two Chuunins saluted the woman and disappeared as soon as their orders were received, leaving Sakura facing the Hokage, "Ano… Hokage-sama, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help. I mean, I've had chickenpox before so I could probably look after them…"

Tsunade furrowed her eyebrows, "That's a good idea; although I don't think you'll be able to handle the both of them yourself, seeing it would be impossible to let them live under the same roof."

With that said, she looked over at the two infected boys, where the cheekier of the two was now hitting the more stoic one over the head with his new found round weapon.

Sakura giggled, "Point taken Hokage-sama. I do know someone who would be more than willing to look after Naruto. If I'm not wrong, she's had the chickenpox too. So if you don't mind, I could go get her for you."

The Godaime smiled in relief, "Arigatou Sakura that would be great."

The pink haired girl grinned back cheekily, "Just as long as I get to take care of Sasuke-kun, I'm fine with anything." With that said, Sakura winked and was out the door.

oooooooooo

Hyuuga Hinata was watching her father and Neji duel in the Hyuuga courtyard when an unnatural shade of pink wandered in. "Sumimasen Hiashi-sama, sorry to interrupt but Tsunade-sama wishes to see your daughter."

Hyuuga Hiashi stepped out of his stance as he turned to face the new arrival. "And you might be…"

"I'm Haruno Sakura; Hiashi-sama." Sakura introduced herself as she bowed politely. "I'm one of the genins in Hinata-san's year."

Hiashi frowned slightly, "I haven't seen you before." With that, he puffed out his chest as he turned back to Neji.

Slightly pissed at the Hiashi's dismissal, Sakura seethed silently as she cursed the man under her breath. Biting her tongue she spoke up again. "Hiashi-sama, Hokage-sama wishes to see your…"

"I heard you the first time." He interrupted. "Take her and go."

Hinata ran by, giving a slight bow and thanks to her father, keeping her eyes downcast all the time. Even when they were out of the Hyuuga compound, she never lifted her eyes up.

Sakura bent over slightly, not all that surprised to find white eyes clouded over with sadness. "Hinata… Are you alright?"

"A… Aa I'm fine Sakura-san." Hinata sniffed slightly as she looked up smiling.

The pink haired girl smiled back before bursting into laughter. "Oh Hinata, you'll never guess what happened."

The shy girl blinked, "Na… nani? Sakura-san, what's so funny?"

Sakura grinned, "Everyone but Naruto knows that you like him right? Well Hinata, now's your chance to grab him! Naruto's got the chickenpox."

The normally shy and quiet girl then did something no one had ever seen or heard her do before, she yelled. "HONTO?" Almost as the sudden outburst began, it ended just as abruptly as Hinata, blushing madly, clapped her hands over her mouth before whispering. "Honto ka Sakura-san?"

Nodding wildly, Sakura replied, "So does Sasuke-kun. Now's our chance Hinata, to get the boy of our dreams! I volunteered you to take care of Naruto while I take care of Sasuke-kun! It's fate Hinata! You have to grab this opportunity!"

"Demo… Sakura-san, I don't know if I can do it." Hinata whispered, "What if Naruto doesn't want me to take care of him? He likes you. Do you think he would listen to me?"

Frowning, Sakura bonked Hinata lightly over the head. "Stop being such a pessimist. Stand up for what's right and don't listen to people like your father. They've got issues like having a stick-up-their-ass!"

Hinata giggled softly at the comment before chastising her friend, "Sakura-san! You shouldn't speak of your elders like that!"

"Well I just did and you can't tell me what to do either. You were laughing with me!" Sakura smirked, poking Hinata in the cheek. "Anyway, Tsunade-sama's waiting. Oh, wait till you see Naruto. He looks like some kind of… of THING with those spots on his face. Although to you, any kind of Naruto is still cute. Just like Sasuke-kun."

As Sakura sighed and ranted on about the Uchiha, Hinata couldn't help but blush madly at the thought of taking care of Naruto and seeing him every single day.

oooooooooo

Sasuke swore as he took a swipe at Naruto, who dodged easily. "Sasuke-teme, you suck!"

Tsunade sighed as she looked through the files Izumo and Kotetsu had just brought in, "Naruto, keep it down. I'm trying to concentrate here."

"Aww come on Tsunade baa-chan. I'm bored. Where's Sakura-chan?" The blonde boy whined.

"Urusai dobe." Sasuke mumbled as he tried to scratch a spot on his cheek to no avail, the ball of bandages in the way.

Just as Naruto was about to kick at Sasuke, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Sakura stepped in, pulling a blushing Hinata in behind her. "Tsunade-sama, I brought Hinata along."

"Oh Hinata! I've heard a lot about you from your sensei." Tsunade smiled kindly, making an effort to try and calm the nervous girl's nerves.

Hinata's blush deepened, "Ho… Hokage-sama, you wished to s… see me?"

"Aa sou! Sakura, Hinata. Seeing these two," She indicated, waving her hand towards the two sulking boys, "do not co-operate each other, it wouldn't be wise to keep them together. Therefore, I am assigning the two of you to take care of these two patients. Sakura, you'll take Sasuke and Hinata will take Naruto."

"Tsunade no Baa-chan, how come Sakura gets to take care of Sasuke-teme! Why can't she take care of me?" Naruto yelled, only to receive a whack from Sakura.

"Naruto you baka! Tsunade-sama already said that Hinata's going to be taking care of you. So stop worrying about me when you've got a personal nurse who has a thing for you!" Sakura's eyes widened as she realized she had let Hinata's feelings for Naruto known. Turning to Hinata with horrified eyes, she mouthed an apology to the blushing girl.

Meanwhile, the ever oblivious Naruto frowned, "Hinata, you've got something for me?" Hearing this, her blush increased a thousand fold. "What did you get for me? How did you know I was sick? Is it like a get well gift?"

Hinata was at a loss of words as Naruto continued his questions, giving her no chance to answer. Frantic, she looked to Sakura who did the only thing possible. She punched Naruto. "Urusai Naruto! Stop being such a pest!"

Sasuke snorted, "Dobe."

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A/N: How are you finding it? Was it too short? Not enough plot? Haha… I'm trying my best, but feel free to drop any comments!

Thank you! And please read and review!


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